American Idol’ recap: Kris Allen has his Sunshine’ moment

Just when I think this show has lost the ability to surprise, along comes an episode that proves it.

Gina Carbone

Just when I think this show has lost the ability to surprise, along comes an episode that proves it.

Tuesday during – ahem – "most popular download night," Adam Lambert did something crazy. Because after scaling back and doing something mature, crazy is the only card left in his deck.

(Only Adam would ask us to accept “Play That Funky Music” as a contemporary song. And only an audience drunk on Lambertinis would go along with it.)

Anoop Desai tried to play rapper because that’s the only other card in HIS deck. I don’t blame his college buddies in the audience for that, I blame the idea that having a favorite song means you can sing that favorite song. He loves R&B/rap/hip-hop and that’s fine, but even Usher wouldn’t sing “Caught Up” during a singing competition.

Megan Joy (Corkrey) pulled a relatively new move I’d like to call The Woz, where you barely even try to do well and just smile at the judges, pinning all your hopes on the voters to save you. (Didn't work for The Woz on Tuesday, it probably won't work for Megan on Wednesday.)

Allison Iraheta did a lousy version of “Don’t Speak” that no one really talked about because they were busy dissing her outfit. (Even though last week Simon insisted this wasn’t “Top Model.”)

Matt Giraud did something different and sang a good song well. For that, he was inexplicably punished.

I was ready to cut the cord with the judges. Not even the “Let’s agree to disagree and stay friends” break-up. The “No, Paula, you really DID tell Scott MacIntyre he should stop playing the piano and I’ve had enough of the revisionist history” kind of break-up where plates get smashed.

Then Kris Allen closed the show.

And he brought us all back together by doing exactly what the judges – and I – said we all wanted all along.

As Kara said right at the beginning: Artistry is taking a song you’ve heard a million times and doing it in a way that’s unique … It gives us goosebumps and makes us want to go out and buy the record.

Kris said he likes to make old songs contemporary. He did it with “Ain’t No Sunshine,” in a way that Adam didn’t this week with ... I still can’t even believe someone sang “Play that funky music, white boy” on “American Idol” and it wasn’t even Sanjaya or Nick/Norman.

So what happens now? Now I’m thinking it’s finally time to let Megan Joy go. Her number is up. Scott’s number should be up next week. Then probably my boy Anoop, then Lil, then Allison, then Matt, then Danny, then Kris, then Adam.

That may not be what happens, but that’s what should happen. But I’m willing to let this show try to surprise me.

He’s eager to get back to the high energy stuff, like Randy suggested.

I love watching Noop the rap star. I like his hair like this.

Unfortunately this kind of song does not show off his voice. He may love this type of song, but the type of song does not love his voice. It’s not a big performance song. And it’s sound-alike or whatever the judges call it when the contestant doesn’t try to make the song his or her own.

Still love ya, man. And your friends in the audience seem cool.

Randy: You definitely picked up your swagger. The vocals were really good considering I don’t think it was the right song for you. Usher’s a kind of dancer/singer.

Kara: When you pick Usher, you gotta go up in your range and do riffs and do crazy stuff. … I’m getting the feeling like a bunch of frat guys dared you to get up and sing Usher.

(Yep. College friends in the audience definitely seem to be an influence.)

Paula: I love the fact that you went back to the playful side. … I would work a little bit more on the stage presence. Create some signature hits with your stance with the band. … Take more liberties.

Simon: I just thought it was a complete and utter mess if you want my honest opinion. … You came over as a wannabe. I didn’t see any originality. It was a little bit about college boy trying to be a rock star and failing. It actually gave me a headache.

(Noop is trying to be polite, but it’s getting a bit tense.)

She’s finally doing a song that she absolutely loooooves.

Turn the band down low, too. That’s her major issue. The music keeps drowning her out and she ends up trying to sing over it. She doesn’t have the power to sing over it. Why can’t she just scale it all back already?

I’m giving up on her. Sorry, Megan.

Kara: I really like you, but I think you’re in trouble

(Then again, Simon said that last week.)

Kara: It’s just not the song choice for you. I want to hear Adele, “Chasing Pavements.”

(Someone in the audience yells “Broken record.”)

Kara: You have a beautiful falsetto, you never use it.

Paula: I think at this stage of the competition, you really need to take us by surprise and dig really deep to an area that might not be comfortable but that’s where beauty is.

(She recommends sitting on a stool in the spotlight singing a sensitive ballad.)

Simon: So she needs a chair? The problem was, the song was boring, it was indulgent, it was monotonous and all the things we liked about you are disappearing. You are actually becoming indulgent. Nobody’s going to like that song (boos). It just wasn’t you and it is about song choice.

Randy: It was like watching paint dry. You can love a song but that doesn’t mean you’re gonna sing it great. Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele…

(Ryan asks if she thought it was going badly while she sang it. She says no, the audience was feeling it and her fans were feeling it.Simon said she says that every week. Well, Simon, you created these over-confident monsters with your “you have to be conceited to be a star” comments. Now you’re surprised that they believe in themselves against all common sense?)

I looooove this song, like Megan loves Bob Marley. Rascal Flatts rules. I’ve been waiting for someone to sing this song.

Someone needs to turn down the music or turn up the mics. Consistent music-over-lyrics issues going on tonight.

Paula: Danny this is where you thrive. … You leave me wanting more. … This is a performance, I would hit repeat in my car.

Simon: This week if I’m being honest, I thought it was your best performance…I know we’re only three in, but it was so much better than the first two. It was like two snails competing with a racehorse. … Get a great song, sing it brilliantly and do your version.

Randy: I kind of feel like tonight’s show starts right here. … Choosing something that you can really sing. … You can do this, keep your swagger moving.

Kara: What you did tonight, you moved everyone in this room emotionally and that’s hard to do. You gave so much of your heart and song and that’s when you really connect with the audience. … The goosebumps I was talking about, I had some of those.

(I don’t know, maybe because I love that song so much and it was cut so short, I didn’t feel it like everyone else did. Makes me sad.)

Really? “Don’t Speak”? Eek.

Oh, but she’s doing something a little different with it. That’s a good thing.

At the start it was, anyway. Now she’s not. This isn’t right for her. Why this song?

Randy: Vocally, you can sing, the whole thing. You were a little ahead of the beat. I like that you came out and played the guitar. But, dude, what are you wearing? What is with this outfit? I got mad love for you, but I did not get the ensemble tonight.

Kara: The rock in you comes out of you no matter what you’re wearing, so you don’t need to dress the part. You are that. It was a little distracting, it felt forced. It felt you were trying to be something. It was a good performance. Not your best.

Simon: We can’t ignore the outfit. It was like something out of the Addams Family. Tonight’s theme is Halloween. It was like a slightly precocious daughter trying to dress like a rock star and act like one. I thought it was just a bit dressy uppy trying to be a rock star. I think we lost your identity a bit. Plus, you shouted the song.

I also love Billy Joel. (Fun fact no one will care about: My mom went to Hicksville High School in Hicksville, N.Y., a few years after Billy Joel.)

The only problem with us, other than the fact that I’ve never been a fan of Scott’s voice, is it’s so close to the original it just makes me want to hear the original.

He’s not taking any chances, doing anything original. He hit a nice strong note at the end, but that was it.

Kara: I think you made some very smart decisions tonight. … Stripping it down and just singing to the audience. And I love the new look.

(I like the hair too, but what are they hearing?)

Paula: Out of all the contestants that have graced the stage, I’m most proud of you. … It has nothing to do with your challenge but everything that makes me forget about that challenge.

(Just saying that makes it more about his “challenge.” He has a visual impairment. He can see about as much as you could view out of a straw. It has nothing to do with his singing. There’s no need to be condescending.)

Simon: Your best performance by a country mile so far. It’s a different Scott. We’ve got the Ryan Seacrest hair. Very lucky that you didn’t listen to madame’s advice not to play at the piano.

Randy: One of the best of the night, Scotty.

**Paula denied to Simon that she had said Scott should sing without the piano. But she did say that. In fact, it was during “Ring of Fire” night when Scott sang “Wild Angels.”

Here’s a rough transcript of the piano moment, from two weeks ago:

Paula: To me tonight was another impressive lovely performance. You work harder than most people on that stage. I really do feel though the piano may be a bit of a crutch now and it separates you from the audience. I think people need to see you as a showman as well.Scott: We can move it closer!Paula: I want you to mix it up a little.Simon: What do you want him to do?Paula: I want him to sing without the piano.Simon: I think it was a bit of a stupid thing to say that.Paula: Stop being disrespectful, Simon.”

So she did clearly say “I want him to sing without the piano.”

Very new song. The Fray had this song as the “Lost” theme this year.

Matt plays keyboard off to the side of the stage.

He’s in the middle of a group of girls. It’s a strange set-up. But I do love this song and he’s a creative musician. Hits high notes, hits low notes. It’s a good song, but it does seem a bit forced.

I’m starting to realize that he’s my Daughtry. No matter what happens to him – and winning this is not going to happen to him – I’ll probably end up loving his songs on the radio.

Paula: I appreciate that you went for a contemporary song and you love The Fray. But I feel like you aborted the things we love most about you and that’s your magnificent way of riffing … it became more of a sound-alike to the lead singer … it was reminiscent of when you sang that Coldplay song.

Simon: You should be happy, Matt, because we don’t like you this week. .. I didn’t get it at all. Again, it was somebody trying to be somebody else. Very uptight. Not a good commercial song.

(What? Not a good commercial song? Did you miss the part about “Lost.”)

Simon: If you just did something like Danny or Scott, where you chose a great song and sang it well …

(He lost me there.)

Randy: It was just the wrong song for you. … “Apologize” would’ve been you. (By One Republic)

Kara: You keep going between the rock side of pop and the R&B side of pop. We need you to commit to something so we know what kind of record you’d make… You are a talented guy and you don’t deserve to go home.

(You can do both rock and R&B on the same album.)

This is a huge power ballad song.

I hate how abbreviated these things are. Why not just do a full two hours and let them sing the full songs? The judges spend more time analyzing songs than actually letting the contestants sing them.

Randy: For me, for you, once again, this wouldn’t have been my song choice. You sang it really really well. Young it up a little bit.

Kara: I could’ve heard something that a Mariah had done, or a Mary (J. Blige). When you get up there it’s effortless. It’s unbelievable. … Tonight we got a glimpse of what we saw in the beginning, which is this singer that can just let it out and wow us.

Paula: I don’t want to see an adult contemporary Lil Rounds, I want to see the joy you brought to us in that first round.

Simon: This was for me you singing to stay in the competition with a safe song. I found it quite similar to a wedding performance. … If you’d chosen something like “One” by U2, which Mary J. did brilliantly … this, honestly, was so old-fashioned. … Your personality is being sucked out of you. You’ve got to stop this, because you’re too good.

(She has a new look with bangs.)

(Lil’s little girl hugs Randy instead of hitting him.)

He stripped it down last week and is going to the other spectrum this week.

From 1976? That’s the year my crazy old arse was born. Not exactly contemporary.

Only Adam Lambert would ask us to accept “Play that funky music, white boy.”

And he’s dancing too.

Young man, you were winning me over after last week.

I love his high notes and the element of drama he brings with every breath, but I’m not sure.

This one falls in the middle for me. I feel like Kara after the “Ring of Fire” incident. I’m confused, but happy.

Paula: True genius does not fulfill expectations, true genius shatters it. (She compares him to Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger. I think she may be going a bit too far.)

Simon: That was very brave. I’ve got to hand it to you, at least we get rid of some of this karaoke nonsense we’ve seen tonight. .. I don’t think it will make you as popular as last week, but I don’t think it matters now.

Randy: you got that voice, you worked it out dude. You were definitely in the star zone, dude.

(Adam gives props to the band. “They worked it out.” Very “star” of you.)

Kara: Every week I cannot wait to get to the show and see what you are going to do next. It was like Studio 57 up here.

(Yeah, he’s still the reason to watch the show.)

He likes to made old songs current.

He’s going to play piano. He wants to have a “moment” and play something really memorable.

They always let a major contender end the show, to get people talking. So when I saw he was the last one it made me curious. He is more ambitious than I ever knew.

This, to me, was the performance of the night. He did everything they said they wanted.

Randy: Right now in this moment … you’ve been slaying em, dude. You are so in the zone. Loving you.

Kara: I’ve got three words for you: That is artistry.

(She counted right this time.)

Paula: You took a 30-year-old song and played it like I was hearing it for the first time. Your best performance to date.

Simon: When we spoke last week we spoke about confidence. That’s what you brought tonight. Very, very good arrangement. I agree with the guys, your best performance to date.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
seacoastonline.com ~ 111 New Hampshire Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service